The invention relates to packaging machines, and more particularly to a machine for rapidly and automatically loading articles into folding cartons or cases.
In the packaging industry, various machines have been used for loading products vertically into top opening boxes or horizontally from one side or an end. However, there are disadvantages in top loading of products, wherein the products are often dropped a short distance into the container and are subject to damage. When side or end loading of a standard top opening carton is used, the product must be on their sides during loading, before they are turned to the normal upright position, and this could be injurious to the products being packed.
My earlier U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,377 disclosed a method and an automatic machine for loading a plurality of articles up into the bottom of a carton or case. In that system, the plurality of articles, in their proper pack pattern, were pushed onto a lifting platform and moved up into the case on the platform, whereupon a pair of the bottom flaps were closed, under the platform. Then the loaded case was pushed off the platform onto a surface, in a direction parallel to the converged edges of the closed bottom flaps, thereby closing a third flap. From there, further operations closed the last bottom flap and the top flaps, and the case was sealed.
It is a general object of the present invention to improve on the system of my earlier patent by greatly increasing the speed at which cases can be loaded using, generally, the bottom loading procedure of that earlier patent. This object is achieved by use of a special rotating carousel-type loading device, which raises and lowers a series of angularly spaced apart platforms by a camming action, in response to rotation of the carousel.